Karver KB6
here Has anyone ever played with furlers on single handers? It occurs to me that with a furler and a modified retrieval setup. You could hoist the kite as you approach the mark (from Trap with little load), and simply grab the sheet and pull on it after bearing away, effectively allowing a set as fast as the 2 man boats. At the bottom mark you would furl the kite (again quicker and easier than dropping) get around the mark, get the boat going then drop the furled sail (similar to what you see on the big boats but with some form of retrieval rope). It would take some thought and setup but if you got it right you could eliminate the biggest hole in single handed performance.
Will a modern spi furl well? When I looked at this way back furling was an issue. Perhaps there have been developments, or do we still have to compromise on luff shape and shoulder to make it furl?
I like the snails, but would that really be faster than a regular snuffer?
Hi Rolf,
I think there are two problems: The first is the mid-girth rule. If you want to have a furling sail, you have the leading edge more straight and than the rule makes the trailing edge too curved to get enough tension on it to get a good shape. The other "problem" is that a furling sail will have a flatter cut, but I am not sure if this is really a drawback, especially if you save 5 s during hoisting and taking down.
For me, the real development stopper is the mid-girth rule. Remove it and after a couple of years we will see much better down wind sails.
Cheers,
Klaus
